Ken Kratz

Early life and education Kratz is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He later lived in Onalaska, Wisconsin. He served as president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association in 1996. Kratz chaired the Wisconsin Victim Rights Council in 1993 as well as its successor, the Wisconsin Crime Victims Rights Board, from 1998 to 2010.

In 1997, Kratz prosecuted a prominent child abuse case in which parents allegedly locked their daughter in a cage. The mother pleaded guilty. In 2008, Kratz explored a run for the Republican nomination in Wisconsin's 6th congressional district.

Prosecution of 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach Kratz was appointed special prosecutor and headed the investigation and prosecution of Steven Avery in neighboring Manitowoc County for the murder of Teresa Halbach on October 31, 2005. Manitowoc County had recused its officials because it was being sued by Avery for wrongful conviction, following his exoneration in 2003 of a 1985 conviction for which he had served 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Kratz was also co-counsel to lead prosecutor Tom Fallon against Brendan Dassey, after conducting notorious press conferences against him and Avery.

Kratz gained convictions of both defendants in trials in 2007. Avery was sentenced to life without parole. Dassey, then 17, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with no parole before he reached the age of 56. Dassey's conviction was provisionally overturned in August 2016, subject to appellate review, which reinstated the conviction.

2009 sexual harassment scandal Behavior In October 2009, Kratz was prosecuting a domestic violence case against the ex-boyfriend of a 26-year-old victim, who was a college student and part-time preschool teacher. She filed a police report in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, reporting that after interviewing her in his office, Kratz had sent her 30 sexually coercive text messages over the span of three days.

Kratz wrote her, among other things, "Are you the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA ... the riskier the better?"

One woman complained that Kratz had invited her to a date at a slain woman's autopsy "provided I act as his girlfriend and would wear high heels and a skirt," and another woman said after meeting her in his office he texted her asking how she would impress him in bed. According to an investigatory report, she said that in 2009 he called her "out of the blue," said he was getting a divorce, came to her apartment, and told her in a threatening manner that he "knew everything about her" and "if she did not listen to him, he could get her 'jammed up.'"

Aftermath Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle said Kratz's actions "appalled" him. After Doyle began removal procedures against him, in October 2010 Kratz resigned from his $105,000 Calumet County district attorney position and later filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

In March 2011, the Wisconsin Department of Justice decided that Kratz's "conduct appears to fit the connotation of 'misconduct' and demonstrates inappropriate behavior, but does not satisfy the elements required to prosecute."

In June 2014, Kratz's law license was suspended for four months by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which termed his actions "sophomoric". The court called his actions "appalling," writing "This was exploitative behavior, harassing behavior, and a crass placement of his personal interests above those of his client, the State of Wisconsin."

According to the State Bar of Wisconsin, Kratz has since voluntarily resigned his law license in the state.

In popular culture Kratz's role in the Steven Avery case was documented in the Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer (2015). Kratz did not cooperate with the producers or interviewers in the series. He later criticized them, saying they had left out key pieces of evidence. After the release of the series, Kratz began receiving death threats. His Yelp page was flooded with negative comments criticizing his tactics during the case. In 2017, he published the book Avery: The Case Against Steven Avery and What Making a Murderer Gets Wrong to rebut the allegations of the Netflix documentary.

Personal life As of 1992, Kratz was married and had one child. Kratz is currently married to Leah.